US8398820B2ExpiredUtilityA1

Method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet

Assignee: EDWARDS STEVEN LPriority: Oct 7, 2002Filed: Feb 22, 2012Granted: Mar 19, 2013

Est. expiryOct 7, 2022(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority

Inventors:Steven L. Edwards Guy H. Super Stephen J. Mccullough Ronald R. Reeb Hung Liang Chou Kang Chang Yeh John H. Dwiggins Frank D. Harper

Y10T428/24479Y10T428/24851Y10T428/24455D21H 27/005D21H 27/30D21H 27/007

PatentIndex Score

Cited by

368

References

Claims

Abstract

A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet includes compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber, applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed, belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under pressure of at least 20 pounds per linear inch in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt. The belt is traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface. The web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified

1. A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
(a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(b) applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed;
(c) belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under a pressure of at least 20 pounds per linear inch in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the creping belt traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface, and the web being creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights, including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched pileated of having a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased toward the direction between the fiber enriched pileated regions; and
(d) drying the web to form a dried web.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the belt-creping step is operated at a Fabric Crepe of at least about 20 percent up to about 80 percent.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the belt-creping step is operated at a Fabric Crepe of at least about 40 percent.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the belt-creping step is operated at a Fabric Crepe of at least about 60 percent.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dried web has a cross-machine direction (CD) stretch of from about 5 percent to about 10 percent.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dried web has a cross-machine direction (CD) stretch of from about 6 percent to about 8 percent.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dried web has a machine direction (MD) stretch of at least about 15 percent up to 80 percent.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the dried web has a machine direction (MD) stretch of at least about 30 percent.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the dried web has a machine direction (MD) stretch of at least about 55 percent.

10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the dried web has a machine direction (MD) stretch of at least about 75 percent.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dried web has a machine direction to cross-machine direction (MD/CD) tensile ratio of less than about 1.1 and at least about 0.5.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dried web exhibits a machine direction to cross-machine direction (MD/CD) tensile ratio of from about 0.5 to about 0.9.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the dried web exhibits a machine direction to cross-machine direction (MD/CD) tensile ratio of from about 0.6 to about 0.8.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the belt-creping step comprises belt-creping the web at a consistency of from about 35 percent to about 55 percent.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein belt-creping step comprises belt-creping the web at a consistency of from about 40 percent to about 50 percent.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure in the belt creping nip is from about 40 pounds per linear inch to about 80 pounds per linear inch.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure in the belt creping nip is from about 50 pounds per linear inch to about 70 pounds per linear inch.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the creping belt is supported in the creping nip with a backing roll having a surface hardness of from about 20 to about 120 on the Pusey and Jones hardness scale.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the creping belt is supported in the creping nip with a backing roll having a surface hardness of from about 25 to about 90 on the Pusey and Jones hardness scale.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the creping nip extends over a distance of at least about 1/16″ up to about 2″.

21. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the creping nip extends over a distance of at least about ⅛″ up to about 2″.

22. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the creping nip extends over a distance of from about ½″ up to about 2″.

23. A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
(a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(b) applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed;
(c) belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under a pressure of at least 20 pounds per linear inch in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the belt traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface by at least 100 feet per minute, and the speed of the belt being slower than the speed of the transfer surface by a velocity delta of up to 2000 feet per minute, wherein the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt; and
(d) drying the web to form a dried web.

24. The method according to claim 23 , wherein the dried web has an absorbency of at least about 6 g/g.

25. The method according to claim 23 , wherein the dried web has an absorbency of at least about 7 g/g.

26. The method according to claim 23 , wherein the dried web has an absorbency of at least about 8 g/g.

27. A method of making a fabric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
(a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web;
(b) applying the nascent web to a surface of a rotating transfer cylinder that is rotating at a transfer surface speed, such that the surface velocity of the cylinder is at least about 1000 fpm;
(c) fabric-creping the web from the transfer cylinder at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent under a pressure of at least 20 pounds per linear inch in a high impact fabric creping nip defined between the transfer cylinder and a creping fabric that is traveling at a fabric speed that is slower than the surface velocity of the transfer cylinder by at least 100 feet per minute, and the fabric speed being slower than the speed of the transfer surface by a velocity delta of up to 2000 feet per minute, wherein the web is creped from the cylinder and rearranged on the creping fabric; and
(d) drying the web to form a dried web.

28. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the surface velocity of the transfer cylinder is at least about 2000 fpm up to about 6000 fpm.

29. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the surface velocity of the transfer cylinder is at least about 4000 fpm up to about 6000 fpm.

30. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the dried web has an absorbency of from about 5 g/g to about 12 g/g.

31. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the absorbency of the dried web (g/g) is at least about 0.7 times the specific volume of the dried web (cc/g), up to an absorbency in g/g of about 0.9 times the specific volume of the dried web in cc/g.

32. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the absorbency of the dried web (g/g) is from about 0.75 to about 0.9 times the specific volume of the dried web (cc/g).

33. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the papermaking furnish includes a wet strength resin.

34. The method according to claim 33 , wherein the wet strength resin comprises a polyamide-epicholorohydrin resin.

35. The method according to claim 27 , further comprising dewatering the web by wet pressing the web with a papermaking felt while applying the web to the transfer cylinder.

36. The method according to claim 35 , wherein the step of dewatering the web by wet pressing the web is carried out in a shoe press.

37. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the transfer cylinder is a shoe press roll and the nascent web is further dewatered by wet pressing the nascent web while applying the nascent web to the transfer cylinder.

38. The method according to claim 27 , further comprising the steps of forming a nascent web on a forming fabric, transferring the nascent web to a papermaking felt and dewatering the web by wet pressing the web between the papermaking felt and the transfer cylinder.

39. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the fabric creping nip extends over a distance corresponding to at least twice the distance between wefts of the creping fabric, up to a distance corresponding to forty times the distance between the wefts of the creping fabric.

40. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the fabric creping nip extends over a distance corresponding to at least four times the distance between wefts of the creping fabric, up to a distance corresponding to forty times the distance between the wefts of the creping fabric.

41. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the fabric creping nip extends over a distance corresponding to at least ten times the distance between wefts of the creping fabric, up to a distance corresponding to forty times the distance between the wefts of the creping fabric.

42. The method according to claim 27 , wherein the fabric creping nip extends over a distance corresponding to at least twenty times the distance between wefts creping fabric, up to a distance corresponding to forty times the distance between the wefts of the creping fabric.

43. A method of making a single-ply tissue product, the method comprising:
(a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(b) applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed;
(c) belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under a pressure of at least 20 pounds per linear inch in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the creping belt traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface by at least 100 feet per minute, and the speed of the belt being slower than the speed of the transfer surface by a velocity delta of up to 2000 feet per minute, wherein the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights, including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched pileated regions having a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased toward the direction between the fiber enriched pileated regions, and (iii) wherein the Fabric Crepe is greater than about 25% up to about 80%;
(d) drying the web to form a basesheet having a machine direction (MD) stretch greater than about 25%, up to about 80%; and
(e) converting the basesheet into a single-ply tissue product.

44. The method according to claim 43 , further comprising calendering the single-ply tissue product.

45. The method according to claim 43 , wherein the single-ply tissue product has a 12-ply caliper (microns) to basis weight (gms/m 2 ) ratio of greater than about 95 and up to about 120.

46. A method of making a multi-ply tissue product, the method comprising:
(a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(b) applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed;
(c) belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under a pressure of at least 20 pounds per linear inch in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the creping belt traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface by at least 100 feet per minute, and the speed of the belt being slower than the speed of the transfer surface by a velocity delta of up to 2000 feet per minute, wherein the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights, including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched pileated regions having a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased toward the direction between the fiber enriched pileated regions, and (iii) wherein the Fabric Crepe is greater than about 25% up to 80%;
(d) drying the web to form a basesheet having a machine direction (MD) stretch greater than about 25%, up to 80%; and
(e) converting the basesheet into a multi-ply tissue product with n plies made from the base sheet, n being two or three.

47. The method according to claim 46 , wherein n is equal to two, such that the tissue product is a two-ply tissue product.

48. The method according to claim 46 , wherein the basesheet has an MD stretch of at least about 30%.

49. The method according to claim 46 , wherein the basesheet has an MD stretch of at least about 40%.

50. The method according to claim 46 , further comprising calendaring the multi-ply tissue product.

51. The method according to claim 46 , wherein the multi-ply tissue product has a 12-ply caliper (microns) to basis weight (gms/m 2 ) ratio of greater than about 95.

52. The method according to claim 46 , wherein the multi-ply tissue product has a 12-ply caliper (microns) to basis weight (gms/m 2 ) ratio of greater than about 95 and up to about 120.

53. A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
(a) applying a papermaking furnish to a papermaking felt in contact with a forming roll provided with a vacuum;
(b) at least partially dewatering the papermaking furnish by application of a vacuum from the forming roll on the papermaking felt to form a nascent web having a generally random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(c) compactively dewatering the nascent web having the generally random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(d) applying the dewatered web having the generally random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed;
(e) belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under pressure in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the creping belt traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface, by at least 100 feet per minute, and the speed of the belt being slower than the speed of the transfer surface by a velocity delta of up to 2000 feet per minute, wherein the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights, including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched pileated regions having a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased along the direction between the fiber enriched pileated regions; and
(f) drying the web.

54. The method of claim 53 , wherein the method is carried out on a three-fabric papermachine.

55. The method according to claim 54 , wherein the step of drying the web comprises applying the web to a Yankee dryer.

56. The method according to claim 55 , wherein the step of applying the web to the Yankee dryer comprises utilizing a poly(vinyl alcohol) containing adhesive.

57. The method according to claim 53 , wherein the papermaking felt is inclined upwardly.

58. The method according to claim 53 , further comprising utilizing a pressure roll that is configured to urge the papermaking felt against the forming roll.

59. The method according to claim 58 , wherein the pressure roll has a surface hardness of from about 20 to about 120 on the Pusey and Jones hardness scale.

60. The method according to claim 58 , wherein the pressure roll has a surface hardness of from about 25 to about 90 on the Pusey and Jones hardness scale.

61. A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
(a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(b) applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed;
(c) belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under pressure in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the creping belt traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface, wherein the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having basis weights, including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched pileated regions having a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased toward the direction between the fiber enriched pileated regions; and
(d) drying the web to form a dried web,
wherein the dried web has a cross-machine (CD) stretch of from about 5 percent to about 20 percent.

62. The method according to claim 61 , wherein the dried web has a CD stretch of from about 5 percent to about 10 percent.

63. The method according to claim 61 , wherein the dried web has a CD, stretch of from about 6 percent to about 8 percent.

64. The method according to claim 61 , wherein the dried web has an absorbency of at least about 6 g/g.

65. The method according to claim 61 , wherein the dried web has an absorbency of at least about 7 g/g.

66. The method according to claim 61 , wherein the dried web has an absorbency of at least about 8 g/g.

67. A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
(a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(b) applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed;
(c) belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under pressure in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the creping belt traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface, wherein the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights, including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched pileated regions having a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased toward the direction between pileated regions; and
(d) drying the web to form a dried web,
wherein the dried web has a cross-machine direction (CD) stretch of from about 5 percent to about 20 percent, and an absorbency of at least 5 g/g, up to an absorbency in g/g of about 0.9 times the specific volume of the web in cc/g.

68. The method according to claim 67 , wherein the dried web exhibits a machine direction to cross-machine direction (MD/CD) tensile ratio of from about 0.5 to about 0.9.

69. The method according to claim 67 , wherein the dried web exhibits a machine direction to cross-machine direction (MD/CD) tensile ratio of from about 0.6 to about 0.8.

70. The method according to claim 67 , wherein the dried web has a CD stretch of from about 6 percent to about 8 percent.

71. A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
(a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(b) applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed;
(c) belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under pressure of at least 20 pounds per linear inch in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the creping belt traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface, wherein the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights, including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched pileated regions of a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased toward the direction between the fiber enriched pileated regions; and
(d) drying the web to form a dried web,
wherein the dried web has a machine direction to cross-machine direction (MD/CD) tensile ratio of less than about 1.1 and at least about 0.5.

72. A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
(a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(b) applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed;
(c) belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under a pressure of at least 20 pounds per linear inch in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the creping belt traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface by at least 100 feet per minute, and the speed of the belt being slower than the speed of the transfer surface by a velocity delta of up to 2000 feet per minute, wherein the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt; and
(d) drying the web.

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